As Loris Karius stepped out onto the Kyiv turf for the Champions League final back in 2018, nobody expected it to be his last competitive game in a Liverpool shirt. The German goalkeeper had kept more clean sheets than any other shot-stopper in the tournament that season and the Reds had every chance of emerging victorious at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium against the European behemoth that is Real Madrid.
Fast forward to full-time and a tearful Karius was being consoled by his manager, team-mates and even Madrid attacker Gareth Bale. The Welshman had fired a brace beyond the goalkeeper minutes earlier, the first of which should have been a routine save for a goalkeeper of his quality.
Karius had also gifted Madrid their first goal, inexplicably rolling the ball into the path of Karim Benzema as he closed down what should have been an ordinary goal-kick. Tests in the days after the 3-1 defeat showed signs of concussion but that didn't matter to fans.
His integral part in Liverpool's run to the final was instantly forgotten in those moments and the 29-year-old has spent the following years desperately trying to rebuild his reputation as a Premier League-quality goalkeeper.
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A two-year loan spell at Besiktas preceded a failed stint at Union Berlin in his native Germany. However the footballing Gods have decided to give Karius the chance to right the wrongs of past cup finals in this Sunday's Carabao Cup showpiece.
Before his Newcastle opportunity, and before he even made it big at Liverpool, there was an impressive rise to stardom at Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05. Martin Schmidt coached Karius at the club before he got his life-changing Premier League switch and has kept a close eye on the goalkeeper's career from afar in his new role as the club's sporting director.
"He was still a very young player who just came to us from Manchester City. We could see his incredible talent early on, and with any young player it takes some shaping by coaches – Stephan Kuhnert, Thomas Tuchel, Kasper Hjulmand and myself – to help make that talent shine.
"Loris is a cool guy, had many friends on the team and staff – he was an integral part of a team that felt like a band of brothers. He has a strong mentality, which helped Mainz 05 to qualify for Europe, which is still the biggest success in our club’s history to this day.
"We were not surprised that one of the best clubs in Europe wanted to snatch him up. He earned this chance with his strong performances in the Bundesliga. We were very happy for his success."
That fateful night in Ukraine remains the main talking point whenever Karius' name is brought up among football fans. But Schmidt feels as though his former goalkeeper was simply the victim of bad luck.
"Football is a game where you profit from the opponent’s mistakes," he added. "Just look at the Champions League game from this week, Liverpool vs. Real Madrid – there were also two goalkeeper mistakes. For goalkeepers this is especially hard, as they have less margin for error.
"Although this is also part of football, we need to make sure that we don’t forget that everyone on the pitch is still human. It is unfair to attack someone on a personal level because he makes a mistake. Loris was and is an amazing goalkeeper, both before and after that game, it is just the public perception of him that changed, sadly."
Schmidt knew Karius before the fame and fortune that accompanies a Premier League move. Though the player that worked his way through the ranks at Mainz is no more. Ever since his Liverpool career was brought to a slow and painful end, Karius has been on a mission for redemption in different leagues across Europe.
His two-year spell at Besiktas somewhat helped restore his reputation but wasn't enough to win back a spot on Merseyside after Allison Becker's arrival. Instead, the No 1 opted for a return to his native Germany in a bid to get his career right back on track.
Up stepped Union Berlin. Previously a humble, run of the mill Bundesliga side, the team are currently now punching above their weight in a title battle with the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
In 2020 they signed Karius on loan, with the player expecting a wealth of game time upon his arrival. Unfortunately the club's other stopper Andreas Luthe enjoyed a fine start to the season and subsequently retained the No 1 jersey for the majority of the campaign.
Union Berlin's head of goalkeeping Michael Gspurning told Chronicle Live: "It was, of course for him, not the easiest time because when he came into the team, we already were three games into the season, and the other goalkeeper did well. There was no reason for the coach to switch the position.
"So it was tough for him but when we needed him then in the games he was there. This is one of his strengths, that he is experienced enough to come into a game and perform as he can perform.
"Of course, I guess he was expecting he will have more playing time. A year at Besiktas, he was there on loan from Liverpool and he wanted to come back to Germany to play more. This was cool, because in my mind, maybe the Union can be a good restart for him. But unfortunately for him he was not in the driver's seat."
Karius was 'open and honest' about the role that 2018 Champions League final had played in his career and was always determined to use it as motivation to one day return to the very highest level of world football.
"This was a decisive moment," Gspurning continued. "The Champions League final will stay with him for his whole career. I always saw what happened to him in this final and thought you don't wish that on your biggest enemy.
"You have to have quite an intense, strong mind so you can get over it. I love the story behind that. Make your restart and maybe it works out that you can prove to the people in Germany, you can prove to all the people in Europe what a great keeper you are.
"The final is a great opportunity. It can be the kiss of life if this happens. I wish from the bottom of my heart that he makes a complete shutdown and then he keeps the penalties out!
"This would be a fairytale. He's a good guy, definitely a good guy. I wish him nothing but the best because he had very tough times. Not only for a few months but for years now. So he definitely deserves a good 90 minutes and a fairytale."
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